The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: Films from the Fringes of Cinema

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Summary: A must read for anyone interested in experimental film
Review: A must read for anyone interested in experimental film

This book is a fantastic survey of current underground cinema and should prove to be an essential for any new filmmaker interested in discovering a new world of film and video. It's a wonderful accomplishment and is long overdue.

Cheers to Phil Hall for finally assembling a guide that is friendly to new experimental filmmakers and fringe cinema enthusiasts!

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Summary: Essential Reading for Indie Film Fans!
Review: A terrific counterpart to John Pierson's "Spike Mike Slackers and Dykes," Phil Hall's indispensable ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNDERGROUND MOVIES focuses on the true indie cinema as relayed and documented by those who lived it. These are the passionate filmmakers whose wonderful works are only rarely seen or have received marginal distribution. These are the filmmakers who are cranking out 10 films a year, shooting in their basement, spending their money on celluloid and tape stock instead of food - the true mavericks of a little known "cinema" that is alive and well, but yet unknown to most.

Hall's brilliant book also focuses on the film distributors who live on the fringes while struggling to bring these vanguard films to the screen. He even touches upon a brief history of independent film distribution, focusing on such pioneers as Dave Friedman and Dan Sonney.

This is a must read for every filmmaker as well as any fan of independent cinema. Every chapter features fascinating accounts after accounts from filmmakers across the country and their struggles, sometimes humourous, other times inspiring and uplifting, of creating their works and seeing them through to the ultimate battle but artistic gratification of the world of distribution.

So put down that book of Peter Biskind's gossip-laden "Down and Dirty Pictures" and go out and read Phil Hall's book to get the real scoop on the state of Indie Cinema.

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Summary: What a great book!! Now I know where to look for UG Flicks
Review: I read this thing and felt as if a whole new world opened up. There is an entire Underground film moment happening in America and it's not the same thing as the Independent film movement. This makes me want to start making a film today. It's a great tool as well. It tells you precisely where Underground films have got a positive response and a fair shake. It shows these struggling artisans just trying to create, no Hollywood BS, just art. This is what all filmmakers should be like. Simply remarkable. There is a sea of films wating to be discovered, they really are like buried treasures and I can't believe that I was blind to it all. .This guy Phil Hall knows his films!!!! You gotta get it.

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Summary: Important Work on Neglected Filmmakers
Review: I think it's great that this book has finally been written, and that Phil Hall was the one to write it. No one understands better than Mr. Hall, a longtime distributor and promoter of underground films, how some of these filmmakers toil and sweat for their work. People like Eric Stanze, Michael Legge, and Ronnie Sortor deserve recognition for doing challenging and entertaining work under seemingly impossible circumstances. Mr. Hall has highlighted some of the best in this extremely useful and informative contribution to a sadly-neglected area of American film, an indispensible addition to any film student's library.
- Robert Firsching
Editor, The Amazing World of Cult Movies

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Summary: simply astounding
Review: In a time when a great many books on so-called underground cinema exist merely to flaunt the author's ability to namedrop and ensure their place as glorified indie hacks, The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies is nothing less than revelatory. Phil Hall explores the fringes of cinema culture so thoroughly that this book is one worth returning to over and over. My life would have been much different had I not been exposed to some of the ambitious and talented filmmakers Hall mentions throughout the book (Shanti Guy, Jimmy Traynor, the unstoppable Antero Alli). Prepare to be awed.

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Summary: Educated underground cinema insight from an educated man
Review: In his journeys through decades of film, Phil Hall has picked up on many movies, unseen by numerous eyes. He illuminates these choices with educated insight into these movies, while also expressing his appreciation for the section of an artform that needs more attention. Mixing history with the informative prose he uses for his film reviews, this is an invaluable book for those wanting a different type of cinema. They'll find it here.

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Summary: a critical source
Review: In just under a decade, DV (IE1394) has given birth to a generation of new filmmakers (okay, not really film, but that's the point, it's no longer necessary) who've never known Hollywood, never gone to UCLA or NYU, and never raised more money than what it takes to buy a new car.

And yet they've generated a whole new genre of outstanding independent films that truly are independent--and veteran film reviewer Phil Hall has about the best overview of their work in this first real decade of indie DV production.

From producers with new takes on the Classics of Shakespeare to free-style apostles of Mike Leigh, Hall's take on the new school of movie-makers is a must for any aspiring producer today. He writes easily as a film reviewer, but reveals a discerning eye for the subtle and the grotesque, and there's a lot of both to be mined in the long list of indie producers he profiles.

This encyclopedia is also highly recommended for viewers tired of the standard Hollywood fare, who love finding new and off-beat films to watch.

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Summary: The Underground resurfaces!
Review: Phil Hall's great new book on the "FRINGE PEOPLE"!  All the facts and fictions behind the true independent movie makers;  the ones that aren't financed by fat wallet investors or rich relatives.   These are the loose cannons with a camera who aren't making movies for the mainstream beehives,  but pursuing their own vision,  albeit often warped.   More eye opening than the first shot of  "Un Chein Andelou."

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Summary: PHIL HALL ROCKS!!
Review: Phil Hall's insight into Underground Cinema is truly beneficial to those who really care about filmmaking and discovering new (and mostly unknown) works (like "Getting Out of Rhode Island") that most people would otherwise rarely hear about.... His film criticism has demonstrated his understanding and appreciation for this craft in all forms. Through his first book, Hall opens doors for filmmakers who will often (or always) experience challenges in reaching the furociously competitive indie-trying-too-hard-to-become-mainstream film market.... and opens windows for new audiences to be exposed to their works. "Encyclopedia of Underground Movies" is a gift for underground filmmakers and their always-evolving fanhood.

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Summary: Exploring New Film Territory
Review: Would you like to know more about movies than what's playing this week at the multiplex? Then take an incredible journey through the world of Underground Cinema with film critic Phil Hall as your guide. Hall's first book, "The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies" will blow your mind about thousands of films "which rarely find their way to audience, media or industry recognition" - including horror films, documentaries, comedies and gay-themed films. Because you'll want to find many of the movies Hall mentions, he has included websites for the films, if available. When a website is not available, Hall provides a link to a review of the film or to the Internet Movie Database's title listing. Do you want to make an underground movie of your own? If so, Hall also gives you some helpful tips. As if all this weren't enough, Hall's groundbreaking book is as entertaining to read as it is enlightening. His "Encyclopedia" is a must-read for film buffs!